Message Preached on January 1, 2023 by Evangelist Amanda L. Campbell
Affliction, something that causes pain or suffering. As we go through our lives, there comes a time where we are afflicted. To which it stunts our growth, feel dormant, and even to the point we find ourselves saying “no one cares about me” or ” my life is always going to be like this”. In this walk with Christ, He reminds us that He would never leave nor forsake us. If you find yourself in a dry season in your life, where you cannot find your closest friends or the ones you really love; just know God sits high and looks low and is concerned about your afflictions. Yes, sometimes people hurt us or our thoughts aren’t right, or what we may be dealing with is too difficult. In this righteous life you will have afflictions, even feel low, and have bad days. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.“
Deliver Me, from my afflictions! If you call on Jesus, He will answer, hear your cry, and deliver you from those afflictions. Things come and go, feel pain sometimes; but the afflictions of God’s people are designed. Yes, they are designed and it may not be something you would want to hear. They are designed under God’s management to test, make manifest, and exercise the graceness and virtues He planted in you. Afflictions are never joyous. Nevertheless, they yield to the piece of the fruit of righteousness and those who are exercised by them. You have to be exercised by your afflictions; which means you will be uncomfortable.
Sometimes there’s a season that everything seems to be falling apart, where you don’t want to talk about it. Yet, the more you talk about it the more delivered you become. How? Simply going to God, talking to Him, and allowing Him to remove the gunk that’s inside of you. Afflictions are those things you claim you are over, but truly you are not. God doesn’t judge by how you act but how you really are. Some people have mastered the art of pretending. Pretending won’t get you to the promise of God. You have to come to a place and be honest with God, and say “I’m not okay.”
Afflictions serves to quicken the spirit of devotion in you. When you are afflicted, it leads you to pray. You find scriptures to your problem in the word. Simply, your afflictions makes you have devotion with God. Think on this, if it wasn’t for the low place some wouldn’t even dare to pray or read the word. So, God will allow afflictions to come knowing He is the one and only who is able to deliver you out of it. The scripture tells us that none of our bones will be broken. God is saying He will bring you through something difficult, but bring you out much better than when you went in.
As believers in Christ, some struggles cannot be avoided. You just have to go through them. Sometimes those afflictions may even catch you off guard, to make you assume you may have done something and question if God is actually good. Those afflictions are trying to bring something good out of you. Knowing that God helps us in our troubles and He delivers. God doesn’t waste your pain but He uses it to go deeper with you in the hurt.
God uses our pain for His purpose and ultimate good. He may allow you to be bruise but not to the point of beyond repair. He allows only what we need. God keeps, He saves, He is near, and knows our heart and sees the pain. He redeems the lives of His servants. Whatever bruising you are experiencing at the moment, take heart. God is healer and saviour by nature. Know that the Lord will intervene and deliver!
